Find dairy industry facts for dairy month.

June is National Dairy Month, and that means it’s time to show the dairy industry some love for all of the delicious and nutritious dairy products made possible by the hard work of the nation’s dairy farmers. Read about the history of National Dairy Month, learn fun facts to share over cheese, ice cream or a cold glass of milk, and explore dairy farm loans with the nation’s premier land lender, below.

Dairy Industry Statistics

The dairy industry is a large sector of the agriculture industry. The majority of dairy operations reside in the West and North of the country, with the top five dairy-producing states being California, Wisconsin, Idaho, New York, and Pennsylvania, according to 2015 data compiled by Penn State. The top five dairy-producing states produce over half of the nation’s milk, though there are dairy farms in each of the U.S.’s 50 states.

According to a USDA overview of the industry, there were 65,000 milk cow operations in 2009, compared to 97,460 in 2001. While the number of dairies has fallen over the last 10 years, the industry is trending towards dairies with more head of cows and more milk produced per cow.

History of National Dairy Month

National Milk Month was started back in 1937 by grocers to promote milk consumption, according to the Southeast Dairy Association. The event ran from June 10th to July 10th and encouraged consumers to drink milk to “stay youthful.” By 1939, the event had moved to the month of June and was renamed as National Dairy Month. Since then, the dairy industry has promoted the healthfulness and deliciousness of dairy products during the month of June with events, marketing campaigns, and activities.

Fun Stats for National Dairy Month

The Southeast Dairy Association lists an array of events that are held in celebration of National Dairy Month, though you can host your own. Make sure you have a few dairy-iffic statistics to regale your fellow dairy enthusiasts. We’ve compiled a few below, from The Wisconsin Cheeseman:

A dairy cow eats between 90 and 100 pounds of food, and drinks about 35 gallons of water—about as much as a bathtub—every day.

An average dairy cow produces 6.3 gallons of milk daily. That adds up to over 2,300 gallons a year for 350,000 glasses of milk in a cow’s lifetime.

U.S. dairy farms together produce about 21 billion gallons of milk every year.

There are around 300 varieties of cheese sold in the U.S., and the most popular is Cheddar.

About Dairy Farm Loans

As the nation’s leader in agricultural land lending, we offer custom loans for dairy farming that take the ever-fluctuating nature of the ag industry into account by offering easy terms like low rates, long amortizations and a 10-year line of credit.